On September 7, an 8.1-magnitude earthquake rattled Mexico, shaking people out of their beds from the epicenter in the southern state of Chiapas to Mexico City some 600 miles away. It was the strongest earthquake to hit the country in over a century and has led to 98 deaths to date. Worst hit were the Istmo region of Oaxaca, the mountainous Mixe region in the same state and de coastal region of Chiapas. About 2.5 million people are in need of emergency aid and shelter.
Photographer Jonathan Treat visited the Istmo region days after the earthquake and shares with Educa this photo reporting about the people´s struggle for survival in the communities of San Mateo del Mar, Matías Romero, Rio de Pachiñe, Santa María Xadani and Las Flores: “The ovens that women use to make totopos to sell are destroyed. There are single mothers, and many others with no income now,” explained Edgar Teodoro Galván to Treat. “We don´t know how long we´ll be without homes. Our territory is forgotten. We´re like abandoned orphans. We´ve organized to help each other. But how are we going to rebuild?”
Photo reporting: “What do we do now?” (pdf, 10 pág.)
